How to make the perfect Schnitzel

Hey Guys,
today I'm going to post a picture tutorial on how to make the perfect Schnitzel. For all of you staring into the screen, totally mind blown on what the heck I'm rambling on about I'm talking about lol, Schnitzel is the German word for a breaded and fried filet of pork. It originates from Vienna Austria (Wien), often also called a Wiener Schnitzel. Nowadays not only pork is used anymore, but tons of people use poultry instead. Everybody in Europe LOVES Schnitzel, but not everyone can make it just right. Most problems that people have with their Schnitzel:

1. The whole piece of meat is soggy
2. It gets too dark and does not have a nice golden color
3. The Schnitzel is pretty much burnt on the outside and raw in the middle
4. The meat is very very dry
5. The breading doesn't actually stick to the meat, but comes off in the frying pan

^ All things we do not really want... Soooo for starters, here are the reasons why these 5 common, very annoying things, are happening to your fried filet.

1. You are either not letting all the egg residue drip off of the meat OR you are simply using too much oil in the frying pan OR the oil isn't hot enough at first.
2. Your heat is up too high.
3. Your heat is up way too high OR you are using the meat straight from the refrigerator, meaning it is still very cold in the center.
4. The Schnitzel is being fried for too long. It is a very thin piece of meat, so I doesn't need much cooking to be done. Hence if "over-fried" it becomes very dry, because all the juices are evaporating.
5. You are using only breadcrumbs for the breading OR you are making a common mistake by putting the meat into flour first and THEN into breadcrumbs.

Enough statistics, lets get cooking!!

Ingredients:

Flour

Fine breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper

1 egg

2 Tablespoons of milk

Skinless, boneless turkey breast (feel free to use chicken or pork)

Oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl (or other container of your choice...I usually just use the container the meat comes in...saves dishes lol) mix the flour and the breadcrumbs. There really is no "correct" measurement here, like 1 cup of this and 1 cup of that. Just use about enough mixture to cover the amount of meat you are using. The only thing that is VERY IMPORTANT is that the ratio between breadcrumbs and flour is 1:1. (as in if you are indeed using 1 cup of breadcrumbs then you need to also use 1 cup of flour)

2. Into a small bowl crack your egg and mix with 2 Tablespoons of milk, a dash of salt and a dash of pepper, using a fork or a whisk, until very smooth and well combined.

3. If you don't already have the meat unpacked, washed and dried off, this is the time to do so *wink* Once you're done, place it on a cutting board.

4. One piece at a time, pound them flat using a meat pounder (always use the flat side of the pounder with thin filets, if you use the thorny side you will create holes that will let more meat juices leak, resulting in the dish being dry), making sure the meat does not get too thin to the point where it rips or holes are created. After they are all done place them on a plate and put them aside.

5. Now is the time to get the turkey/chicken/pork breaded! Have a clean, empty plate ready for the breaded filets to rest on once they've been covered. Using one piece of meat at a time, dunk into the egg mix, then pull it back out of the bowl holding it above it. You want to let a lot of excess egg run off, to prevent your Schnitzel from being soggy.

6. Place the egg covered filet into the breadcrumb mix, make sure to really press it down into it, this way the dry ingredients really stick to the wet ingredients. (This will prevent your covering to later come off while you are frying...the flour also helps along this process!) Flip it and do the same to the other side. I personally flip mine a couple of times, until I am satisfied with the covering. I really take my time. You're done with one piece when it actually feels dry! If it feels sticky you need to keep flipping and covering.

7. Once you have covered all of your meat, it is perfectly ok to stack them on the plate. They won't stick IF you've covered them well. (like I said really make sure those babies are covered well, it will make them turn out so much more delicious!!!)

8. Meanwhile (while the meat sits in it's covering on a plate) heat your frying pan with enough oil to barely cover the bottom of it. You want your heat on medium to high to get the oil really hot and ready for the first Schnitzel. Once you place the meat in the oil, you want to turn it back to medium so the pan doesn't heat up even more, resulting in a bunch of the annoying things I mentioned above. (aka burnt crust raw center etc.)

TIPPS AND TRICKS

How to know if your oil has the perfect temperature to place your meat in?! Here is a very simple trick to figure that out very effectively:

If you place the end of a wooden spoon into your oil...or any other wooden object really and tiny little sizzling bubbles appear around the edge, the temperature is perfect and ready for your first Schnitzel (or anything else being fried in your kitchen). If nothing happens it's not hot enough yet...well...and if the spoon turns black...I guess I don't have to tell you that the oil is waaayyy too hot lol *wink*

9. Place the first piece of meat into the frying pan, making sure you turn back the heat to medium! Let it sizzle and fry for 3 minutes without moving, just let it do it's sizzling thing. Flip and do the same for the other side. It should be golden brown after this process. I do realize every stove is a little different, so if there is still need for a side to get goldeny then flip it once or twice more. What's important is that you do not exceed the cooking time over 7 to 8 minutes depending on how thin the meat is, or else it will get overcooked and dry. (the thicker the more time it will take of course) If the juices start running milky to clear, coming out of the bread crust you definitely know it's done and safe to remove from the pan. A lot of people think this is a sign for "need of more cooking"...really it just shows it's done and you're letting the juice escape by overcooking.

10. Repeat Step 9 until all your meat is fried. I personally do NOT encourage people to fry more than one Schnitzel at a time. Always remember an overfull, hurried pan will result in oil cooling down, color not turning out golden, things taking longer anyway etc etc etc. Many bad things come from trying to hurry food.
I stack the meat on a platter and usually serve it that way, with everyone grabbing a piece off the plate at the table.

And there you go ^ perfect golden brown Schnitzel, not missing any crust...looking scrumptious. I actually made this for dinner tonight, serving it up with some lettuce and asparagus salad. In Germany and Austria for that matter, when you order Wiener Schnitzel at a restaurant it will come with a slice of lemon. It is there to squeeze over the top of the meat. I just put a little lemon squirter on the table, however you do it, make sure to add the lemon!! It tastes sooooo GOOD!!!

Other side dishes that go well with Schnitzel are potatoes (fried, baked, however), any type of salad and any vegetable that is steamed....aaaaaaaand of course ketchup or BBQ sauce!!!

Just so I can also contribute to food porn lmao....Here's tonight's dinner *YUM*

Until next time! Stay safe use a condom use an ovenmitt in the kitchen lol